I eagerly awaited the Brown Van O' Goodness and my box arrived at around 2pm today from Classic Arms. My order was a hand select / matching SKS.

First Impressions:

Classic seems to package their rifles a little better, as this one was tightly packed in bubble wrap inside the cardboard box. I greedily tore at it in anticipation of the contents. The fun part of this whole Chicom SKS bonanza is wondering what your particular rifle will look like, as it seems they are all over the spectrum.

I immediately noticed that the stock looked like it had been PAINTED with grey paint! It was patchy and the mottled red finish was visible where the paint wore off.

On the other hand, all of the metal surfaces were deep blue and MINTY. I immediately tore the rifle apart to look for hidden rust or issues (Both of the J&G rifles I got had some minor pitting on the receiver below the wood line). This one has no pitting or rust anywhere at all.

All of the metal looked great and all the numbers matched 100%. Once I started wiping down the stock with mineral spirits I realized that the stock is matching and original to the gun..Yeah!!

I failed to take pictures before tearing it down but I snapped a few after the fact. The stock is actually in good shape underneath all that gunk. I will post up pictures of as soon as its all put back together.

P.S. I thought I might sell this one off, but after receiving it and inspecting it....I'M KEEPING IT!

I ordered two hand select. One looks fine and the other doesn't have any finish left and rust on the bolt. I think that I will send that one back based on their "hand select" description.

"Hand Select - Expect Stocks to be dark and discolored with dents, dings, scratches and possible carvings but no major gouges or chunks missing . Metal finish will be between 60% and 95% ( yes, many have close to 100% blue still left ) with 75% to 80% probably being most typical. "

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by waterfern

Watch come Wednesday. It's going to be a landslide. Forget the polls, look at the census data, trump screwed up. Tell you what though if trump had made peace with woman and hispancis he could have pulled this off. But he kept at em. Just couldn't shut up.

Hmm...I am thinking of ordering the same Bobby, but I have a mint blonde '55 Tula arriving this week and I don't think I have enough room in the safe for another. Choices, choices, guess I could remove the bolt and keep it in the safe and keep the Chinese SKS beater in the closet?

I have noticed one thing about these C&R SKS rifles. They feel heavier and sturdier than the later Chines SkS that were designed for the civilian market, specifically the ones with the bright orange stocks and stamped receivers. I have both and I love both, but there is definitely a tangible difference.

Hmm...I am thinking of ordering the same Bobby, but I have a mint blonde '55 Tula arriving this week and I don't think I have enough room in the safe for another. Choices, choices, guess I could remove the bolt and keep it in the safe and keep the Chinese SKS beater in the closet?

I am curious as to what a Blonde Tula SKS looks like. It is my understanding that all original Russian stocks were either Arctic Birch red or laminated.

Man, your hand select looks nothing like my hand select. Mine can't have more than about 10% bluing left.http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...d.php?t=649182
Based on the description on Classic's website, I think I would have reason enough to return it but I'm not going to. Secretly, I like that the finish is almost worn off on mine,

I eagerly awaited the Brown Van O' Goodness and my box arrived at around 2pm today from Classic Arms. My order was a hand select / matching SKS.

First Impressions:

Classic seems to package their rifles a little better, as this one was tightly packed in bubble wrap inside the cardboard box. I greedily tore at it in anticipation of the contents. The fun part of this whole Chicom SKS bonanza is wondering what your particular rifle will look like, as it seems they are all over the spectrum.

I immediately noticed that the stock looked like it had been PAINTED with grey paint! It was patchy and the mottled red finish was visible where the paint wore off.

On the other hand, all of the metal surfaces were deep blue and MINTY. I immediately tore the rifle apart to look for hidden rust or issues (Both of the J&G rifles I got had some minor pitting on the receiver below the wood line). This one has no pitting or rust anywhere at all.

All of the metal looked great and all the numbers matched 100%. Once I started wiping down the stock with mineral spirits I realized that the stock is matching and original to the gun..Yeah!!

I failed to take pictures before tearing it down but I snapped a few after the fact. The stock is actually in good shape underneath all that gunk. I will post up pictures of as soon as its all put back together.

P.S. I thought I might sell this one off, but after receiving it and inspecting it....I'M KEEPING IT!

Not sure if it is original but when I saw it, it was love at first sight, I had to have it. It arrives later this week.

Many pictures of higher quality will ensue.

Hmm. Ive seen one just like that. Just a theory here (dont shoot the messenger) but maybe its a refinish? Ive seen them stripped of the shellac and they look almost pine like. Very blond. It was reddish before with flaking shellac, and after a strip was blond like that. Again, just a theory. Looks amazing though either way.

I eagerly awaited the Brown Van O' Goodness and my box arrived at around 2pm today from Classic Arms. My order was a hand select / matching SKS.

First Impressions:

Classic seems to package their rifles a little better, as this one was tightly packed in bubble wrap inside the cardboard box. I greedily tore at it in anticipation of the contents. The fun part of this whole Chicom SKS bonanza is wondering what your particular rifle will look like, as it seems they are all over the spectrum.

I immediately noticed that the stock looked like it had been PAINTED with grey paint! It was patchy and the mottled red finish was visible where the paint wore off.

On the other hand, all of the metal surfaces were deep blue and MINTY. I immediately tore the rifle apart to look for hidden rust or issues (Both of the J&G rifles I got had some minor pitting on the receiver below the wood line). This one has no pitting or rust anywhere at all.

All of the metal looked great and all the numbers matched 100%. Once I started wiping down the stock with mineral spirits I realized that the stock is matching and original to the gun..Yeah!!

I failed to take pictures before tearing it down but I snapped a few after the fact. The stock is actually in good shape underneath all that gunk. I will post up pictures of as soon as its all put back together.

P.S. I thought I might sell this one off, but after receiving it and inspecting it....I'M KEEPING IT!

I have a question for you if you wouldnt mind. Were the bayonets on your glossy-like as if they were polished a bit, or more of a matte? I cant tell from your pic. Im just curious, mine came a bit polished, not chrome like, but definitely shiny.

Hmm. Ive seen one just like that. Just a theory here (dont shoot the messenger) but maybe its a refinish? Ive seen them stripped of the shellac and they look almost pine like. Very blond. It was reddish before with flaking shellac, and after a strip was blond like that. Again, just a theory. Looks amazing though either way.

I won't be miffed if it is a refinish, this will be my main SKS shooter and I wanted a Russian, supposedly the metal and bore are like new. i also have a weakness for blond stocks, they are eye catching and unusual looking when you are at the range. I am much more of a shooter than a hardcore collector. I will still end up buying one of the Chinese, I too kind of dig the beat up look in a way, although I have a source for NIB Norinco SKS so I could get one of those as well.

I have a question for you if you wouldnt mind. Were the bayonets on your glossy-like as if they were polished a bit, or more of a matte? I cant tell from your pic. Im just curious, mine came a bit polished, not chrome like, but definitely shiny.

All of the Chinese SKS's with blade bayonets I own have the matte metal finish. The rest have the spike bayonets. The only shiny metal bayonets I've seen have been on Russians.

I eagerly awaited the Brown Van O' Goodness and my box arrived at around 2pm today from Classic Arms. My order was a hand select / matching SKS.

First Impressions:

Classic seems to package their rifles a little better, as this one was tightly packed in bubble wrap inside the cardboard box. I greedily tore at it in anticipation of the contents. The fun part of this whole Chicom SKS bonanza is wondering what your particular rifle will look like, as it seems they are all over the spectrum.

I immediately noticed that the stock looked like it had been PAINTED with grey paint! It was patchy and the mottled red finish was visible where the paint wore off.

On the other hand, all of the metal surfaces were deep blue and MINTY. I immediately tore the rifle apart to look for hidden rust or issues (Both of the J&G rifles I got had some minor pitting on the receiver below the wood line). This one has no pitting or rust anywhere at all.

All of the metal looked great and all the numbers matched 100%. Once I started wiping down the stock with mineral spirits I realized that the stock is matching and original to the gun..Yeah!!

I failed to take pictures before tearing it down but I snapped a few after the fact. The stock is actually in good shape underneath all that gunk. I will post up pictures of as soon as its all put back together.

P.S. I thought I might sell this one off, but after receiving it and inspecting it....I'M KEEPING IT!

Awesome!

__________________ "The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke speech of 23 April 1770, "Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents," delivered to the House of Commons.

So I returned to the garage after work for round 2 with this SKS rehab...After a night in the mineral spirits the parts look GREAT. Mrs. Ricigliano asked what I was doing in the garage and I replied..

"WINNING...!!!!"

The stock is coming along nicely. Lots of nicks but fully intact with a nice patina and the numbers are now clear to see as matching. Pardon the terrible lighting in my garage, but I took a few pics of the components as they dry out before final oiling and assembly.

I forgot to mention before that this one is a 'Factory 26'. AKA " /26\"

So it sounds like the stock had that almost worn off gray hazed shellac? And you just used mineral spirits to remove it? Did you do anything else? Or any special technique?

Can't tell from the new photo of the stock, what have you done to it? Applied a coat of amber shellac? Or Poly? It looks shiny now, or is that just the photo?

__________________The above is not legal advice. It is just something you read from some dude on the internet. It does not reflect the opinion of Calguns.net. If it seems rude it was probably meant to read sarcastically.

So it sounds like the stock had that almost worn off gray hazed shellac? And you just used mineral spirits to remove it? Did you do anything else? Or any special technique?

Can't tell from the new photo of the stock, what have you done to it? Applied a coat of amber shellac? Or Poly? It looks shiny now, or is that just the photo?

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about stock refinishing.... when the mineral spirits were not effective in removing the grey stuff I used some 220 grit sandpaper and it came off. Then I used mineral spirits to clean the gunk off the stock. It only looks wet in the picture because there was a fresh coat of mineral spirits on it.

I was probably going to put a few coats of boiled linseed oil on it as a protectant. I used BLO before on a diferent stock
but it didn't change the appearance of the stock at all, so maybe I didn't do it right.

P.S. I have read about going to collector hell for using sandpaper, but I do not see this

rifle as a museum piece and I already have several minty SKS's in the safe that don't get shot. This one will be one of my range guns.

i think this last batch of Chinese SKSs are a real find. my ser # is in the same range as the one you have. they all seem pretty much be in the same shape. i cleaned the wood first with WD 40 . then i used de natured alcohol and a scotch pad. finished off with a product called lenspeed. it is a blend of linseed oil and something that makes it dry faster. i took mine to the range and it is a good sound shooter. i have been wanting a Chinese to go along with my YUGO .

If you're going to collector hell for using sandpaper, I'll be looking up at you from the 6th Circle...

I had to completely strip, sand, and refinish the stock on mine. It looked like it had been used to pound railroad spikes building the transcontinental. After I cleaned the gunk off, the stock had shiny but flaking patches of shellac, patches where it was dyed wood, and large patches of bare wood that in the case of the top and bottom of the buttstock was chewed up and splintering. When I got a splinter in my finger through the latex gloves I was wearing I knew it needed more than a clean and oil.

I just stripped it with Citrustrip, lightly sanded off the fuzz, and now I'm staining it with Sedona Red which is a very good match for the color it came to me as. I'm going to go with tung oil followed by paste wax to finish her up. At least I'll be able to shoot it without getting splinters in my face or worrying that pieces are going to catch on something and tear chunks out of the stock!

There will be a thread when I'm done so that I can be properly chastised by the purists.

Looking good Bobby! I see you have a 13 stamped on the receiver underneath the serial number. Is there a corresponding 13 on the barrel lug as well? I have matching 16's on mine. Also my barrel lug has a completely different set of numbers stamped on it, any ideas what they are? I have pics in my own thread...

This whole SKS influx is a winner for everyone. If you have a C&R, you can buy a bunch and keep what you want, selling what you don't want easily. Half the fun is getting the box and tearing it open to see what is in that Crackerjack box!

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about stock refinishing.... when the mineral spirits were not effective in removing the grey stuff I used some 220 grit sandpaper and it came off. Then I used mineral spirits to clean the gunk off the stock. It only looks wet in the picture because there was a fresh coat of mineral spirits on it.

I was probably going to put a few coats of boiled linseed oil on it as a protectant. I used BLO before on a diferent stock
but it didn't change the appearance of the stock at all, so maybe I didn't do it right.

P.S. I have read about going to collector hell for using sandpaper, but I do not see this rifle as a museum piece and I already have several minty

SKS's in the safe that don't get shot. This one will be one of my range guns.

Boy I remember the collector hell I went through for doing such a thing....

__________________NRA MEMBER

Originally Posted by ar15barrels
Unscrew the lid. There is a foil seal there.
Pull the seal off and screw the lid back on.
Then you can squeeze the mustard and it will come out of the bottle..

Liberals are termites eating at the foundation of our constitution.Michael Reagan

So I put this Commie blaster back together today and lubed it up properly. I probably could have spent more time on the stock but I am happy with its character and it feels silky smooth..no more rough spots. If I dropped the chassis into a replacement stock this thing would look practically new, but since the stock is original and matching that isn't going to happen. Here's a few pictures of the finished product. I had to wrap it up...there is another SKS coming tomorrow from Classic!!!!